All the hours of hard work - sometimes with others, sometimes alone - build toward this moment tonight in the Sun Bowl. All the obligatory blood and sweat that holds hands with boxing builds toward this moment. All the years of training, a lifetime of dreaming is geared toward this moment.

And when sunrise sings Sunday morning, only one man will wear the coveted belt ... the belt of a champion ... a world champion.

Friday was calm and quick, almost business-like amid the festive, colorful atmosphere at the refurbished old Plaza Theatre. Lee, clad in black Calvin Klein briefs, stepped onto the scales first, weighing in at 159Êpounds, comfortably below the 160-pound limit. A moment later, clad in a shorter version of the Calvin Klein boxer-briefs, Chávez Jr. stepped onto the scales ... weighing in at an easy 159 pounds.

Tonight, when they step into the ring - after eating and hydrating and re-hydrating and eating a little more - they will each probably weigh around 175 or 176 pounds.

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And now after all the buildup, all the hoopla, all the hard training, nothing remains but the boxing.

Each side is clear as to what it must do to get that championship. Lee, taller at 6-foot-2 to Chávez Jr.'s 6-feet and with a longer reach at 77 inches to Chávez Jr.'s 73, wants a fight in the middle of the ring. Chávez Jr., perhaps with a bit more strength, wants to crowd and bang and move the fight to the corners or onto the ropes.

"I'm keen on having the fight in the middle of the ring," Lee said. "Long range. He likes to crowd his opponent, get him against the ropes. I want that range. That would be an important part of the fight."

Lee is also a left-hander, which is sometimes awkward for orthodox fighters.

"Julio's fighting a southpaw and he hasn't fought a lot of southpaws," said Freddie Roach, Chávez Jr.'s Hall of Fame trainer. "But I love facing southpaws. Move your feet right and you can make it to your advantage. But I told Julio to put Andy Lee on the ropes, use your strength and the southpaw goes away."

Each of these men has done the work. Each has had a long, hard camp. And each believes that will make the difference for him.

"I'm in the best place in my career," said Chávez Jr. "This has been the best training camp of my career. I anticipate a very tough fight. I am going to try and wear him down physically. Andy Lee is a strong fighter and he's fundamentally sound. I'm really ready for this fight. This is a good fight between two good and hungry fighters. Twenty days ago I was ready to fight and I'm ready to fight right now."

Lee said, "My training camp has been great. We know it's going to be a hot night. We had the heat on in the gym (the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit) and our gym is known for the heat. It's been tough. It will be hot out there and the heat will come down to conditioning. I believe I can wear him down, get him frustrated, get him tired and then maybe find a knockout."

No doubt both fighters are in peak condition. There was nary an ounce of body fat to be seen anywhere at the weigh-in. And they both know ... know that this can be a career-defining moment. For Chávez Jr., it could be another move onward, another step up the career ladder, a step toward even bigger fights. For Lee it can make him a champion, swing open the taut doors in the world of boxing to him.

Lee's trainer, Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward, came in from Austria on Friday night. He will be in his corner tonight.

Steward's nephew and Lee's assistant trainer Sugar Hill said, "Andy is a very experienced boxer. He had a great amateur background (fighting in the 2004 Olympics).

He has trained hard back at Kronk. Andy's the kind of fighter you have to tell to slow down, to stop. He's a very hard worker, always wanting to do more and more."

Tonight they will walk the walk, that heart-pounding trip, those adrenaline junkie's dream steps ... from the Sun Bowl tunnel, past midfield, all the way to that squared off jungle they call a boxing ring. They will try to solve that age-old puzzle. What makes a world champion? What is the sometimes razor-thin difference between having your arm raised high in victory and taking that long walk back out ... and dreams dashed, carrying that unforgiving weight of defeat?

A world championship awaits one of these two men - but only one.

Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171. Follow him on Twitter @BillKnightept.